A. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to supports, and more particularly, to a supporting system for providing a safe and secure working surface for use with camping-type portable stoves, and their fuel supply.
B. Discussion of the Related Art
Portable stoves of the type typically used during camping are specifically designed to be compact and lightweight. Although the portable stoves are small and light enough to be easily packed and carried in a backpack, the stoves are inherently instable when assembled and in use at a campsite. These stoves operate on butane, propane or white gas which is contained in a separate tank or bottle and is also carried by the camper.
Owing to their light weight and compact design, a common problem with these portable stoves is that they require a substantially flat and heat-insulative operating surface. In an outdoor environment which these stoves are typically used, such a flat surface is usually unavailable or located at an otherwise inappropriate area with respect to the campsite.
Depending on the season and the particular environment, these portable stoves may be assembled and operated directly on the ground, however, ground coverings, such as loose dirt, pine needles, snow, or grass create an unstable, awkward and potentially dangerous working surface.
During alpine camping and hiking, when the temperature is typically below freezing, it is usually difficult to find an appropriate surface for the camping stove due to snow and ice on the ground. Neither snow nor ice provides a suitable supporting surface for a stove because heat radiated from the stove will melt the frozen supporting surface and invariably create an unstable (and wet) operating surface.
The camping stove is often operated within a tent. Although this provides ambient heat and a dry clean sheltered cooking area, the floor of a tent is usually uneven and the tent material and the sleeping bags within the tent are made from a highly flammable material. Such potential hazards should outweigh the benefits, however, at times there is little alternative. Campers generally must use whatever available resources they have to create a flat, insulative mounting arrangement to which a stove may be secured so that a tent floor is protected during cooking. Moreover, due to the dangers associated with having an open flame in a tent, it is desirable provide a stove that can be quickly removed from the tent if necessary.
Another difficulty associated with using portable stoves during the winter is that the fuel bottle often becomes frozen to the ground when it comes into contact with the surrounding snow or ice.
One attempt to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,757 which describes a portable mounting apparatus for mounting a stove to a filleting board. The board is subsequently secured to a fixture on a motor vehicle or boat that is immediately accessible. Although this device may provide a safe flat working surface, the device relies on the structural support provided by a boat or a land vehicle. Accordingly, this device is not very practical in many camping situations where no such vehicle is available.
Thus, there is a need for a convenient apparatus that secures a portable camping stove and fuel bottle to a flat, level base structure, which is lightweight and easily transportable in a backpack. There is a further need for an apparatus that securely fastens the stove and fuel bottle to a rigid base structure that permits the rapid removal of the connected stove assemblage in the event of an emergency. There is further need of a mounting apparatus that functions as an insulating barrier that protects the supporting surface from the heat generated and radiated by the stove.
It is an object of the invention to provide a support for use with a portable stove that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to provide a safe and practical support for use with a portable stove;
It is a further object of the invention to provide a support to which a portable stove may be removably secured including a fuel supply, that may be easily assembled while wearing gloves or mittens.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a support that prevents the fuel bottle from coming into direct contact with snow or ice.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a support to which a portable stove may be removably secured including means to prevent heat generated by the stove from reaching the support.